Santo Doesn't Make the HOF by 5 Votes

[NCCubFan]

My e-mail to the Hall:

Ron Santo is clearly deserving of induction. There is zero credibility for someone like Bill Mazeroski being in, but one of the best third basemen both offensively and defensively being left out. The purpose of the Veterans Committee is to right injustices done by the writers, but the current process is simply allowing those injustices to continue. Three elections in a row without one single inductee is an absolute farce. The current process is clearly not working and needs to be changed.

And the response I got:

We are in receipt of your letter. Thank you for taking the time to

express your views to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

 

We understand your disappointment in Ron Santo not earning election to

the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is extremely difficult to earn election to

the Hall of Fame' date=' as only one percent -- 1 in 100 -- of those to have

played in the major leagues earn a plaque in Cooperstown. He'll next be

eligible for consideration in 2009.

 

That said, the Board of Directors will be evaluating all aspects of this

election process this spring.

 

Mr. Santo first became eligible for induction into the National Baseball

Hall of Fame in 1980. According to the Rules of Election, he was

eligible for consideration by the BBWAA for 15 years. During that span

of time, Mr. Santo garnered a considerable number of votes, though never

more than the 75 percent required for induction.

 

While Mr. Santo is not currently a member of the Hall of Fame, he is

represented in the Museum and Library as an important figure in baseball

history. Among the interesting items in Cooperstown from his career are

several photographs and a souvenir Ron Santo button from the 1960s.

 

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Thanks again for your comments.

 

Yours in Baseball,

The Hall of Fame

[Derwood]

hmmmm, that response from the HoF got me thinking. Perhaps there should be a measure added that says "if a player get at least X votes over their 15 years of BBWAA eligibility, they will be elected." In other words, you need 75% in any one year, but if you get a cumulative # of votes over the entire eligibility time, you get in. Thoughts?

[BigbadB]

I would need to see Morgan's ballot to believe he voted for Santo. Without proof, he's a liar besides all the other things he is.

[CubColtPacer]

I would need to see Morgan's ballot to believe he voted for Santo. Without proof, he's a liar besides all the other things he is.

 

So he's automatically a liar? I don't see anything in his character that would make you think he was automatically a liar-I don't like the way he looks at baseball either, but that doesn't make him a liar.

[BigbadB]

I would need to see Morgan's ballot to believe he voted for Santo. Without proof, he's a liar besides all the other things he is.

 

So he's automatically a liar? I don't see anything in his character that would make you think he was automatically a liar-I don't like the way he looks at baseball either, but that doesn't make him a liar.

 

If Morgan says he voted for Santo, I'll believe it when I see it. There are a lot of things I don't just automatically believe without seeing it for myself. This is one of them.

[CubColtPacer]

I would need to see Morgan's ballot to believe he voted for Santo. Without proof, he's a liar besides all the other things he is.

 

So he's automatically a liar? I don't see anything in his character that would make you think he was automatically a liar-I don't like the way he looks at baseball either, but that doesn't make him a liar.

 

If Morgan says he voted for Santo, I'll believe it when I see it. There are a lot of things I don't just automatically believe without seeing it for myself. This is one of them.

 

I'm not saying that you have to automatically believe him-but your second sentence basically implied that you could call him a liar and point to this as an example-I just think there's quite a bit of difference between not knowing if something is true and calling it a lie.

[BigbadB]

One more thing I'll add is that Morgan is an influential person within the veteran's committee. If he wanted to see someone get in, all it would have taken is for a couple of phone calls to get it done.

 

To save the face of the veteran's committee, they have had plenty of opportunities now to correct what has been an oversight. No one can sit there and tell me that they don't field a lot of angst each time Santo doesn't make it.

 

The numbers don't lie. Santo is a hall of famer just from his efforts on the field and ignoring his dedication in the booth.

 

I will stand and applaud when the veteran's committee is removed from this process. Especially Joe Morgan. The negative connotations Morgan portrayed towards Sandberg's future induction further proves these guys have biases that taint the system.